WEST POINT, N.Y. - After trading wins in the first four matches of the evening, the Army wrestling team (3-6, 3-4 EIWA) scored victories in five of the final six bouts to secure a 21-10 victory over Navy (3-5, 1-3 EIWA) on Sunday at Christl Arena.

"The Naval Academy and the Naval Academy Athletic Association have a Commitment to Excellence and an Expect to Win attitude toward every program they field, but none more so than the Naval Academy wrestling program," said first-year Navy head coach Joel Sharratt. "The battle was hard fought and opportunities were there for us to capitalize in a couple of situations that we just did not close the door on and it came back to hurt us."

Army opened up a 3-0 advantage after 18th-ranked Russell Parsons posted a 7-1 win over Navy freshman Drew Daniels (Overland Park, Kan.) at 157 pounds. Navy, however, answered when 16th-ranked Peyton Walsh (Glen Allen, Va.) was awarded a takedown with roughly 20 seconds to go in the match and held on for a 5-3 victory against Army team captain Chandler Smith. Smith was a bit of a surprise opponent for Walsh, as Cole Gracey stands 30-9 this season and represented Army at the All-Academy Championship. Gracey, however, had lost to Walsh three times this season. Walsh will head into the EIWA Championship in two weeks with a 35-8 record after closing out the year with a 7-1 dual meet mark.

"Peyton did a tremendous job tonight when a change in the lineup could have shaken him, he stayed the course. He has prepared every day to wrestle his best match against the best opponent he could face in the country and that breeds confidence and establishes every match to be wrestled on his terms and in his positions. That's why he is setting himself apart right now and has a great opportunity over the next four weeks in postseason competition."

Junior Brian Harvey, ranked 17th at 174 pounds, put the Black Knights back on top after edging Navy freshman Jadaen Bernstein (Glen Gardner, N.J.), 2-1. It marked the second straight match in which the bout was determined by a single point, as Harvey dealt Bernstein a 7-6 loss in the championship match at the All-Academy Championship two weeks ago.

Navy, though, would even the match at 6-6 when junior 184-pound Michael Woulfe (Oak Park, Ill.) won his match against Army's Samson Imonode in dramatic fashion. Woulfe held a 2-1 advantage heading into the final period and pushed it to 3-1 with an early escape. Imonode was able to trip up Woulfe as time was winding down and the match was knotted up at three apiece. That's where things would get a little fuzzy. The officials awarded back points to Imonode despite what appeared to be both wrestlers sprawled out of bounds. Sharratt asked for the officials to go to the video review where they would reverse the call. The wrestlers met at the center of the mat where Woulfe would break free with one second left to edge Imonode, 4-3, for the win.

"Michael persevered when a tactical error late in the third period could have forced the match into OT," said Sharratt. "His focus and his dedication and desire earned him an escape with just six seconds left on the clock following a video review. He won on heart and a pure desire to compete every second he was on the mat tonight."

Woulfe also defeated Imonode two weeks ago for the individual title at the All-Academy Championship thanks to a takedown in sudden victory.

It was Woulfe's first appearance in the annual Army-Navy dual, as was it for six other Navy wrestlers, all of which were freshmen.

Sparked by a 2-0 victory by junior 197-pound Bryce Barnes, Army won the next three matches to jump out to a 15-6 lead. Among the wins was a 3-2 decision by sophomore heavyweight David Farr who was awarded a takedown on the edge of the match with three seconds left in the bout for a 3-2 victory over Navy senior Colynn Cook (Murrysville, Pa.).

Navy cut into the lead when freshman 133-pound Zack Davis (Granger, Ind.) scored three takedowns en route to an 8-0 major decision over Army sophomore Christian Doyle. It's the second bonus-point victory by Davis over Doyle this season as Davis won by tech fall at the All-Academy Championship.

"Zack scored the only bonus points of the dual. He worked incredibly hard to keep scoring points and had the composure to get the major decision that left us with the opportunity to win out at 141 and 149 for the dual."

Trailing 15-10 with two matches remaining, Navy had to win out in order to overcome the deficit, however, Army won both bouts to secure the 21-10 victory.

"This dual was as hard fought as any I have been part of," Sharratt said in reflection. "The six freshmen who took the mat today know what this means and are committed to the shift that needs to take place to ensure as a program we right the ship and recover lost ground and start the climb needed to produce the results and achieve the goals we are working for every day."

The Midshipmen will use the next two weeks to prepare for the EIWA Championship slated for March 6-7 at Lehigh's Stabler Arena


Army 21, Navy 10
157 - #18 Russell Parsons dec. Drew Daniels (N) 7-1
165 - #16 Peyton Walsh (N) dec Chandler Smith 5-3
174 - #17 Brian Harvey dec Jadaen Bernstein (N) 2-1
184 - Michael Woulfe (N) dec Samson Imonode 4-3
197 - Bryce Barnes dec Steban Cervantes (N) 2-0
285 - David Farr dec Colynn Cook (N) 3-2
125 - Sean Badua dec Brant Leadbeter (N) 6-2
133 - Zack Davis (N) dec Christian Doyle 8-0
141 - Logan Everett dec Patrick Prada (N) dec 5-2
149 - Javier Rodriguez dec Corey Wilding (N) 9-4


### Go Navy ###